The word huaca (also waka) is a quechua word that refers to an ancient site or sacred place. To huaquear is 'to loot'...huaqueando - looting. This site is dedicated to providing a graphic image of destruction of archaeological sites caused by looting.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Broom with brutally battered body

A freshly looted tomb at Acaray. The entire leg of the disinterred individual lies strewn among ripped clothing and a piece of torso. The lower mandible has been removed from the cranium, which is placed on top of a broken pot. This may represent the huaquero's twisted sense of humor, but it may also be a marker. I believe looters leave markers behind in the vast cemeteries they destroy to return to areas where there is more to be sacked. The broom is probably a looter's tool. Usually associated with mundane sweeping activities, in this context the broom is a symbol of upheaval and destruction. Photo by Margaret Brown Vega, 2006.

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Looting/Huaqueando

You will find photographs of archaeological looting, primarily from coastal desert sites in Peru. Because of the dry conditions, many things preserve well on the Peruvian coast. Unfortunately, looting and other forms of site destruction have thrashed large areas of the coast. The images here are intended to show, very graphically, what looters do to the sites, and to the remains of ancient peoples who once lived in these places.M. Brown Vega